Today in the EU

After years of neglect in the public debate, agriculture has become a hot topic at the EU level in the past year, with issues like food inflation, farmers' protests, and climate change impact on crops. Consequently, agriculture features heavily in the electoral manifestos and campaigns of many political parties ahead of June's EU elections. I'm joined by our Agrifood reporter, Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro, to discuss this.

In this episode of our daily podcast ‘Today in the EU, we are talking about Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who will announce today whether he will step down from office or continue to lead the country. Sanchez's possible departure, just weeks before the EU elections in June, could shake up Europe's political landscape. The abrupt decision came in the wake of allegations of influence-peddling against his wife, Begoña Gómez. But what impact will his decision have on the EU? We’re analysing the situation with Max Griera, Euractiv's politics reporter who also closely follows Spain.

In this episode of our daily podcast ‘Today in the EU’, we talk about espionage in Europe. Across Europe, more and more politicians have been accused of having ties with foreign governments in the past month. At the centre of the latest scandal is the German far-right AfD party and its leader, Maximilian Krah, around whom the Afd’s European political campaign revolves. Kjeld Neubert, Euractiv’s Berlin correspondent, joined us in the studio to discuss the latest developments.

In this episode of our daily podcast ‘Today in the EU’, we talk about Fratelli d'Italia, whose most influential members are gathering at a two-day conference in central Italy that begins tomorrow. It’s there that we will learn whether Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will lead her party in the European elections. Many think it can’t be anyone else but her, but there is another option, her right hand in the party: her sister, Arianna Meloni. To delve into her background and influence in more detail, we sat down with Euractiv’s reporter in Rome Alessia Peretti.

With slightly more than a month to go till the European parliamentary elections, surveyors from our polling partner Europe Elects, are focusing on the performance of the political groups, the seats they may get in the parliament, and what are the main concerns of EU citizens. With anticipation of a higher voter turnout than in previous years, according to the last Eurobarometer before the elections, EU citizens appear more aware and engaged than ever with EU affairs. To get a better understanding of the new data from our polling partner, Europe Elects, with us is Max Griera, Euractiv’s network journalist.

If you are a citizen from one of the 27 countries that are members of the European Union, you have less than seven weeks before you are called to the polls for the European Parliament election, the first after Brexit. Today, we are getting into the practicalities of the voting process, and looking at the impact this vote will have on the future of the EU. What are the key dates we need to keep in mind and what can we expect from this election? In our studio, we invited Aurélie Pugnet, politics hub editor at Euractiv, to discuss this matter.

In this episode of our daily podcast ‘Today in the EU’ we’re all about the last European Parliament plenary session in Strasburg. The Members of the European Parliament are convening for a last session from 22 April until 25 April, to focus on some remaining files before dissolving this parliamentary mandate. All this in the shadow of French President Emmanuel Macron’s upcoming speech, about crucial issues affecting the EU. To look ahead to this last plenary we spoke with Euractiv's Paris-based reporter Theo Burgery Gonse, who is in Strasbourg.

In today's episode of Today in the EU, we decrypt the core messages of the 147-page long report by former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta that all EU institutions have been waiting for. Letta's analysis of the EU's single market was commissioned by the European Council a year ago. The document offers some answers to the unprecedented challenges facing the European Union: the energy crisis prompted by the war in Ukraine, the aftermath of an historic surge in prices, and increased competition from China and the United States. To find out what impact Letta’s report could have on the EU's economic future, we analysed its overarching gist with Anna Brunetti, Euractiv’s economy editor.

More divided than ever, Germany’s coalition government still has many battles to tackle, internally and externally. The main bone of contention is the country’s constitutional ‘debt brake’, exposing the growing rift between the country’s three ruling parties. Externally, the coalition is losing ground in the race for the upcoming June elections. One of ruling parties, the liberal FDP, fears that it may not meet the required 5% threshold. To break down what’s happening with the governing coalition in Germany, I spoke with Jonathan Packroff, Euractiv’s Berlin-based economy reporter.

Far-right leaders from across Europe are supposed to gather today in Brussels for the National Conservatism Conference after the event was disrupted by the police on Tuesday following a shut-down order by the socialist mayor of Saint Josse. Since its inception, Natcon has evolved into a powerhouse event, drawing significant attention and hundreds of thousands of euros in funding. As controversial conservative ideologies gain traction, let’s look at how this conference intersects with the future of the European Union. We talked to Max Griera, Euractiv’s politics reporter who has been covering the event.

In this episode of our ‘Today in the EU’ podcast, we’re looking into this week's EU summit and the pressing topics on the agenda. EU leaders are meeting in Brussels on 17-18 April for an informal EU summit to hammer out the Union’s common reaction to Iran’s attack on Israel and discuss the bloc's competitiveness and economy. To understand better what to expect from the discussion, we spoke with Alexandra Brzozowski, Euractiv’s global Europe editor, and Thomas Moller-Nielsen, Euractiv’s economy reporter.

The European Commission is ramping up its oversight of major tech firms. Google’s parent company Alphabet, META, Tiktok, and Apple are all in the Commission's crosshairs. But experts say that fines might not be enough to halt bad behaviour. As the mandate of many European regulators comes to an end, they are racing against time to leave a lasting mark. Will they succeed in making digital spaces safer before the European elections in June? We’re joined by our tech reporter Julia Tar, who has been following the latest events.

In this episode of our daily ‘Today in the EU’ podcast, we take a deep dive into the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The EU’s economic chief Paolo Gentiloni called for turning the bloc’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) into a “permanent” resource, arguing that its temporary nature hasn't helped the programme would unleash its full potential. However, the European Court of Auditors is warning about the risk of frauds when it comes to EU funds after cases of embezzlement were detected in Greece and Italy. To break this topic down we have with us Euractiv's economy hub: Anna Brunetti, Thomas Moeller Nielsen and Jonathan Packroff.

The European Parliament confronts the Council and the Commission today about the political developments that have swept Slovakia. On Sunday (7 April), Slovaks elected Peter Pellegrini, an ally of populist pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico, as the country's new president, boosting the pro-Moscow forces' grip on power. The European Commission has already threatened to freeze funds for Bratislava in response, but that might make the Eurosceptic prime minister even more popular. After the backsliding in Hungary under Viktor Orban, can the EU stop another country in the union from eroding its democracy? We invited Zuzana Gabrižová, editor-in-chief of Euractiv Slovakia, to help us analyse the situation.

In this episode of our ‘Today in the EU’ podcast we are looking into the vote on the controversial migration pact. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will discuss and vote on ten new bills updating the EU asylum and migration rules, emphasising cooperation and mandatory but flexible solidarity. The final legislative activity in migration and asylum takes place at plenary today, where the Commission and the Belgian Council Presidency share the results of the Migration and Asylum Pact discussions. The agreed texts, seek to strengthen European state collaboration and the EU's crisis response. We sat down with Eleonora Vasques and Aurélie Pugnet from Euractiv’s politics hub, to discuss how the vote will pan out and what does it all mean for member states?

In this episode of our daily ‘Today in the EU’ podcast, we examine the latest scandal to affect Germany's right-wing populist AfD party. Far from new to scandals, alarm bells have started ringing after senior member Petr Bystron, who is running for European Parliament in the June elections, was reportedly caught accepting money from the pro-Russian disinformation site, the Voice of Europe. But is he the only one, and with just two months until Europe heads to the polls, is Parliament ready to tackle this scandal? To answer these burning questions and delve deeper into the scandal shaking EU and German politics, I am joined by Kjeld Neubert, Euractiv's politics reporter in Berlin.

In the latest episode of our daily podcast Today in the EU, we take a look at the consequences of political polarisation in Poland. October 2023 marked the end of eight years of the nationalist government of the Law and Justice party in Poland, with the election of pro-EU veteran Donald Tusk. Brussels welcomed his rise to power and unfroze billions in funds to Poland. But change does not happen overnight. Tusk is now confronted with an electorate divided over how the government should address farmers' protests, the cost of living crisis, and hostile attitudes towards the European Union. Will he succeed in steering Poland away from Euroscepticism?

In this episode of Today in the EU, we are looking at how the EU is responding to Israel’s attack that killed humanitarian workers in Gaza on Monday night. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell both called for a thorough investigation into the Israeli military attack in Gaza. Borrell described IDF’s military actions as appalling and called for an immediate ceasefire while the EU institutions’ sentiment towards Israeli military forces seems to have taken a sharp turn. But EU countries are far from being united on the issue. To discuss the latest developments we spoke with Euractiv’s Spanish correspondent Fernando Heller.

In the latest episode of our daily podcast 'Today in the EU', we’re looking at the NATO foreign affairs ministers' meeting taking place in Brussels. As NATO marks its 75th anniversary, the alliance reflects on its times of peace and stability, as it faces two crucial challenges. Navigating the selection of a new Secretary-General and its relations with Russia. To discuss what we should keep an eye on regarding the NATO meeting we spoke with Aurelie Pugnet, Euractiv’s politics editor.

In this episode of our daily Today in the EU podcast, we are talking about Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s effort to gain support from both ends of the political spectrum. Von der Leyen faces a tricky dilemma as she will have to woo right-wing voters, including new members of the European Parliament, without scaring away the left-of-centre parties, whose votes she needs to win her second term. But what will keeping this precarious balance look like for von der Leyen? How is she going to get the best of both worlds? To get a better understanding, we invited Nick Alipour, Euractiv’s Berlin-based politics reporter.